X Factor winner Joe McElderry faces his own Climb as sales figures show that he is trailing in the battle for the Christmas number one.
The teenager is running behind Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name, which is being championed by an anti-X Factor internet campaign.
However, when a CD version of McElderry's track The Climb is released on Wednesday it is thought he will overturn the lead.
Until now the battle has been waged on downloads alone.
The Official Charts Company said on Tuesday that it was "the fiercest battle for years" for the festive chart-topper.
The gap between the two records is only around 10% of RATM's sales.
Some cut-price retailers were reporting that McElderry had initially been ahead, but by Tuesday Amazon said its sales showed the expletive-rich 1992 track Killing In The Name was nudging ahead.
Music firm HMV said RATM were outselling McElderry by 10 to one on Monday, although it tends to be skewed towards specialist music fans.
X Factor winners have topped the charts at Christmas for the past four years and bookmaker William Hill is considering abandoning flutters on the seasonal number one because it is usually a foregone conclusion.
Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot said: "This is shaping up to be a very exciting battle between two different records which have captured the nation's imagination.
"But, although Rage Against The Machine have started off in front, according to our initial sales estimates, there is no doubt that this tussle is far from over."
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